Propagators for raising plants



Aug. 23, 1955 J. ATKINSON PROPAGATORS FOR RAISING PLANTS 2 Sheets-Sheet Filed Dec. 4, 1953 Inventor:

2 W/lttorneys g- 1955 J. ATKINSON PROPAGATORS FOR RAISING PLANTS 2 Sheets-Sheet Filed Dec. 4, 1953 F/GZ.

llllllllllllll I l I l l N HIIIIIIIIF!II)IIIII} Inventor.- Wm y M Mttomew United rates Patent 0 PROPAGATQRS FOR RAISING PLANTS Joseph Atkinson, Tulsa ll, London, England Application December 4, 1953, Serial No. 396,164

Claims priority, application Great Britain December 27, 1952 3 Claims. or. 47 1e This invention relates to propagators for raising plants.

The object of the invention is to provide a propagator which will be efficient in use, comparatively cheap and simple to manufacture, and advantageous for purposes of transport and/or storage.

With this end in view the invention consists in a propagator for raising plants, in the form of a box-like structure comprising end members held together in spaced relationship by longitudinal members extending between them inside the structure, and means for removably supporting transparent or translucent front and rear walls, and a transparent or translucent roof, for the box-like structure, between the end members. The end members may also be adapted removably to support transparent or translucent end panels.

Each end member may comprise corner posts with a panel extending between them, and the longitudinal members are preferably removably secured to the end members (e. g. being rods or tubes secured to the end memher by screws or the like), allowing the structure to be readily disassembled for packing or transit. The longitudinal members may be arranged in series at different heights to serve as supports for seed boxes or the like, or for shelves or trays. The corner posts may be slotted to receive glass walls, and removable ledge-like supports extending from end to end of the structure, adjacent to the front and rear walls, may be provided to carry glass panels forming a roof for the structure. Electrical or other heating means extending inside the propagator may be fitted and if desired may be under thermostat control, and may be adjustable for temperature.

The invention will be clearly understood from the following description of forms (given, however, merely by way of example) which it may assume, and this description will be more readily followed by reference to the accompanying drawings wherein:

Figure 1 represents in perspective one form of plant propagator according to the invention;

Figure 2 represents in end elevation a somewhat modified form of propagator according to the invention;

Figure 3 represents in side elevation a corner of the popagator shown in Figure 2; and

Figure 4 represents in perspective, and in enlarged scale details of a corner of the propagator shown in Figures 2 and 3.

In carrying the invention into effect in one convenient manner, as shown in Figure 1 of the drawings herewith, a propagator for rearing plants and the like comprises two end members each in die form of two angle-metal corner posts 1 integral with a metal panel 2 of about half the height of the corner posts extending between their lower portions. The top edge 3 of the panel 2 is turned outwards to form a ledge for lifting the structure. The end members are held apart in spaced relation, parallel to one another, by a plurality of longitudinal members in the form of rods or tubes 4, to which the end members are secured by screws or the like 5 engaging in the ends of the rods or tubes 4. Any desired number of rods or tubes 4 may be employed, and are preferably arranged in two or more series at difierent levels. For example in the arrangement shown in Figure 1 six tubes 4 are arranged as three equispaced rods near the base of the structure, and three more rods adjacent to the top edges of panels 2, i. e. at about half the overall height of the structure. Internal angled metal members 6 are located inside the angled corner posts 1, and spaced from the corner posts, e. g. by spacing elements between them, to form slots. The inner members 6 are held by the securing screws of the outer rods or tubes 4. Transparent or translucent panels 8 are removably inserted in the slots between the corner posts 1 and inner members 6 to form front and rear walls of the propagator. Similarly transparent or translucent panels 9 of suitable size may be removably inserted in the slots between corner posts 1 and inner members 6 over the panels 2, resting on the spacing elements to form the upper portion of the end walls of the propagator. The transparent or translucent panels may be of glass, or a synthetic resinous material, e. g. cellulose acetate, which may be beaded along its edges for increased rigidity. Angle metal longitudinal elements 10 may have downturned end lugs adapted to fit into the top ends of the slots between corner posts 1 and inner members 6 behind the glass ends panels 9, so that these elements Til, extend one between the front corner posts and the other between the rear corner posts of the two end members. The vertical sides of these elements 10 stand behind and in contact with the top edges of the panels 8, and their inwardly directly horizontal portions form ledges 11 to support a transparent or translucent roof for the propagator. This roof is preferably formed in two half portions 12, which may be provided with metal edging 13, so that by sliding the two halves apart a variable opening of the propagator to atmosphere can be provided for ventilation.

A slightly modified construction of propagator according to the invention is shown in Figures 2, 3 and 4- of the drawings herewith. In this form of the invention four vertical corner posts 14 are formed, e. g. of extruded aluminium, as angled elements in which each wing has an outer strip 15 and an inner strip 16 (Figure 4) formed with a slot between them. Each end member of the propagator is formed of two such corner posts held apart by a panel (such as panel 2 in Figure 1) which, if of metal, may be integral with the corner posts, or if separate may be of wood or metal and may be fitted and secured in the slots of the corner posts. In the latter case the upper edge of the panel is fitted with an out-turned angle piece 17 (Figure 2) to form a gripping ledge similar to the ledge 3 of Figure 1, and fixed in position by rivets 26. If desired the corner posts 14 may be extended and suitably braced to form legs.

The end members thus formed are held apart by longitudinal rods or tubes 4 (as in Figure 1) held by screws or the like which, at the upper level, may also hold the angle piece 17 in position. As seen in Figure 2 three equispaced rods or tubes are provided at the upper edge of the wooden end panel, and three similar equispaced rods or tubes may be provided at the bottom edges of those panels.

As in the form of the invention described with reference to Figure 1 front and rear glass panels 8 are removably fitted into the front and real slots of the corner posts 14, which slots at their lower end may be formed with structures to support the panels; while end glass panels 9 are removably fitted into the end slots of corner posts 14, resting on the lower wooden panel therein. Longitudinal angle-elements 19 have downturned end lugs 18 which fit snugly into the tops of the end slots of corner posts- 14 behind the glass panels 9, and these elements 10, as previously described, form ledges for receiving two half- V for uniform (or any other desired) heat distribution: lt

pafi'fs' arrest to" ene" 55 5156? r6;- the p r opagator. In either form of the invention the top edge(s) of the front and4or rear panels may project: slightly above the strg1c turef'in order to anew easy gripping'for rempval, A

e h r-1 a we c'mi dfi sr bsd we f i H a n a st which, ma K 9 234 11: ie ii'tly be l'tic'aterineart'qbr in or as, one of th e tube 4 shrouds attached to tliieiid members: or it may comprise a fu'niVof the immersion-heater type; i as shown at 19 in Figu'rel Altei'h'atively'h tingmay be effected by one 'otpari'el' insulated vvire suitably mountj d at the baseiiisi'd"thewpropagator. Such electric heating m'aiis f ekojnne''te'd ja t'erminaYb i ZO secured ex teffial ly t"thenjidpoirit"of an; end member," provided with'alead 21" 2ii1dfathre'e pin plug 21 'raf'c'agiictibgi an 'lectrii upply linel O'neof'the plug pins connects the ref 'stfuictur'e' 'to' earth, to avoid shock to; anfo'erat oi' and vvher'e 'f ece'ssary (e: g. if wooden end pafrielsareemployd) 'ithelvariousmetal parts arel con nefcited regatta-by metal s'trip s', such as 23 (Figure 2). Thefterminal btix may incorp'crate a switch and/Ora ir t lgmp ZSfinEircuit' 'with the 'heaterto showj when 25 it is 'jnwperation 'nf desired an adjustable thermostat, for the purpose o'fjselecting and/or'cont'rollin g tempera-f1 circuijt'fwithtlie h'eatermay b e suitably located 'id'"the propagator; e. g. in t hei'middletube of the 'th' an eXtrnal" adj1isting knob 27 info rder 30 air temperature inside theprop agator. V 'ty is'not'available otheriheatingme ans "For exam re the: terminal box 20 may i V r v all tank holditigfwater'and jeamimini catinglwith the middle wet-ruse 4,o'r with'several tubes' initijl'c'lli t :t'ilid the water in the tail]? may be hea t c df by suitable g. ajj Parana burner; Alternatively tlief' heater 19'rha'y be'replacedby a SOIiH ifietal rod ot block extending through the end member, and heated'f. gl by a Bu fihefonbya hot-water tank as mentionedabove) A0 at itspi'oje'c'ting extremity] I ff desireda tube 24"(Figi1re 1)"lo'pen "it its inner-"end maygb emovably i itted'to oneend panel, projecting into the propagator tofreceiv'athermometer;

r propagatorsuchjasfdescribedabove is interidd to accommj odatepbtser bakes ca fitaimngseeas e usly be-enipmyea w'itli sd-bbXde'scribdin the specifi'c'ation of co-pending British patent application No. 1023/51., 7 v p I s:

be timed fiem'weatiove descnptionthat the various parts '61: the propagator described can be 've'r'yTl easily" a iid readily assembled; and that for transport storage'remavaler the'spacing rods or'tubes'4release' the EndmembersfwhicHwitHthe glasspanels andpther parts can be"substantiallyflatil" f Ifi'afldifibritc'i'tfie f atfir s des cfibed above p gator according to the invention may be provided with baflie plates appropriately arranged to inljluefice air flow I)? desired -supporting plates, e. g. plates 25; may be formed with-apertures to receive pots: A neon or other typeof luminescent tube may be'mounted' inside or outside the propagator' to' influence the plantgrowth. Inplace of glas"" panels '8;-9, 12 there'may be employed-sheets of" ansparent or translucent'material e. g. a synthetic Itfifi'tifildbeunderstood that the" invention 18' not re stricted solely to the details of the forms described above parent or translucent panels described above. I

What I claim is: I 1. A propagator for raising plants, in the form of a box-like structure comprising: two end members held together in spaced relationship by rigid longitudinal tubular members extending between them inside the structure, one plurality of said longitudinal members being spaced apart at a common lower level, another plurality of said longitudinal members being spaced apart at a common higher level, said longitudinal members thereby serving as supportspfor seed-trays at .difierent superposed levels within the structure, means for removably supporting light-transmitting front andrearwalls anda light-L transmitting roof cover, for the box-like s'tructureibetwe'en said end members, anrelectric heater element located inside onejof the tubular longitudinal elements at the lowerlevel, and, arthermostat cont'rolfelement, in circuit withsaid heaterelement, located inside one. o thetubular longitudinal elements at the higher level. t. 4 2,] A propagator for. raisingplants, inthe f ormtof a.vv

l estructure comprising two, end members. eaclltendt member gomprising tvvo cornerposts-each providingslotsr formed between angle pieces, and a rigidendrwall extend: ing between the lower parts of said two .corner posts,l the said two end members beingheld together ,in. spaced. relationship by rigid longitudinal member's. ,extendingtbentween them, inside the structure, one plurality of said; longitudinal members being spacedapart at .a commom; s li vsl; 9th .,p a1ity o a ongitudinalrmemg, s bring p ced; ap rt t a c m o h gher level, said. ng t d nal ms nbsr th eby er .r sflfi ppn t inte n ed-t ays atd fi emtsupe p d leve wi nt el tn ture light-transmitting front, rear and end walls respec tively extending between,said corner posts and vertically, slidably supportedin said slots of said corner posts, and a h -t ans itt n rcpt s yerl the QX-l ke truqure, between said, endmembe rs. K

I9P st sh n d i pai s 2 h ei f l i565 covr ektends pver the top edge of the light-trlansmitting end walls, and 1s slidablehori z ontally ti;ereoy er 5f A propagator for raising plants,;,in the ,form box-like structure comprising twq e'nd member's each formed of two slotted glo 1; posts held apart' by alo rigid wall, a plurality of upper tubular members a n a plurality of lower. tubular members, all said tubular m embers extending longitudinally of the ,structure bet said m5 end membrs forihold g themvlfigi ly togethe in spaced relationship, twd slide members extending beg tweenthe tbps'of the corresponding opposite, corner posts of said twden dinembers, transparent front and r'ea r 'walls end b w en a ve ca ly ,sli b y ,mc rted n he, said QsIQt'Sfof said corner posts, transparent end wal I extehdingjb'etwe'en and mounted in said lslotsof sa ip s cy r' a sll wsrj igi w l wl sa iqn n} ers, anai r nspmm' qbf ,q ver. mean slid b di g haw, nfl top gofldrrel nd n li ts cbmsr r s spfls zd tw d m n s t -W A p na at 'r a c rdin a1ai h e nfl 19w one" said' transparent front I and rear walls V extends up i l i nd h a 'si ds u'p'raer m i v. w p slvsa' Order df g i r l 1 li t n 5 7 3? i S Q SlQQ References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Templin Sept. 17, 1907 Bales Jan. 19, 1909 Waters Oct. 4, 1910 6 Rudolph Nov. 14, 1916 Stuber Dec. 23, 1919 Sklenka May 2, 1922 Parks May 30, 1933 Grandjean June 20, 1933 Zaroban Oct. 17, 1950 FOREIGN PATENTS Great Britain June 2, 1930 Great Britain June 3, 1947 Germany Dec. 19, 1929 

